South African media say man injured in clash with police dies, raising death toll to 4

JOHANNESBURG – South African media say a man injured when residents of a township clashed with police has died, raising the number of people killed in the violence to four.

Mothutlung residents had been demanding access to water. Violent protests periodically break out in some poor South African communities that complain of poor government services.

State broadcaster SABC reported Monday that a 36-year-old man died after a week in a hospital, following the clashes in Mothutlung, a community near Brits town in South Africa's North West province. Police had reportedly shot the man.

There is also concern about a heavy-handed police response to such protests. In an interview with SABC, Danny Titus, the country's human rights commissioner, warned of "lawlessness within the police."